While Maine’s aging housing stock is contributing to the housing shortage, there is an upshot for some buyers.
Many homes on the market have historic value and charm, though they may need major investments. We’ve rounded up four historic properties for sale that could make great homes or businesses, including one built by a governor from long ago and another that is purported to be the site of a town’s first baptism.
This Houlton home that once belonged to a Maine governor
84 Military St., $229,500
This 5-bedroom, 4-bathroom Victorian in Houlton was built by Llewellyn Powers, who went on to become a congressman and governor, in 1865. Powers made Houlton his home for many years as a practicing attorney, and loved to entertain guests at his 3,000-square-foot home, listing agent Andy Mooers of Mooers Realty said.
At that time, Houlton, the Aroostook County seat, was made wealthy by lumber, the railroad and potato farming. The grand architecture of the homes built during that period reflects that rich history, Mooers said.
The home has plenty of historic charm and quirks, including three fireplaces and woodwork from the 19th century. It has been retrofitted with some accessibility measures including grab-bars in the bathroom and a first floor bedroom. Other recent updates include a new kitchen, roof and windows, Mooers said.
It could be a home for a large, extended family, a home and office for a doctor or therapist, or it could be an inn, Mooers suggested.
“There’s definitely a need for a bed-and-breakfast in Houlton,” he said.
The oceanside ‘Captain Simpson’ house in Sullivan
2090 US Highway 1, $315,000
This midcoast Maine fixer-upper, built around 1790 by a sea captain, is described as a “rare chance to resurrect a piece of local history” by its listing agents, Chris and Sarah Gleason of Dwelling in Maine.
Capt. John Simpson, who built the 4-bedroom, 2-bathroom home, is best known in Sullivan for his unfortunate demise. Simpson drowned in the sea near Cape Cod in 1798, according to a history of the home penned by the property’s owners, who bought the home in 1962.
Many of the 2,800 square foot home’s 18th-century details, such as original fireplaces, doors and pinewood floors, are still intact. Though renovations were made to the property in the 1960s, such as new windows, an updated kitchen and bathroom, there’s still a lot of work to be done. The home would need a new roof and well pump, Chris Gleason said.
A major selling point of the home is that it’s right by the ocean, and the homeowners have a right of way to the water. Though some people have been interested in the property, the amount of work needed on the home has spooked prospective buyers, Chris Gleason said.
“It’s a good-sized project,” he said. “It’ll take somebody that’s ready to take something on, but it has so much potential. It’s got a ton of character.”
The former Columbia Falls general store
150 Main St., $299,000
When it was built in 1859, this 4,500-square-foot property was a general store in this Downeast town. Though it’s most recently been used as a cafe, and before that a pottery shop, the building still bears the original store’s sign.
That’s just one of the charms of the building, which also includes two apartments over its retail space, according to listing agents Cindi Sargent and Julia Sheehan of the Masiello Group.
“They’ve kept all the original woodwork, the tin ceilings, those original heavy doors are all there, [so are] the beautiful hardwood floors upstairs,” said Sargent.
Those apartments, a 1-bedroom and a 2-bedroom each with 2 bathrooms, have each been renovated, have some new appliances and are move-in ready. However, a new owner might want to update the building’s inefficient heating system, Sargent said.
The retail space below includes a commercial kitchen that also has a range of new appliances, meaning it could very well be operated as a cafe or restaurant again.
The property also comes with a large carriage barn that definitely needs refurbishing, but opens out to a beautiful view of the Pleasant River, Sargent said. The barn might make a good wedding venue, she suggested.
A long-time baptist church in Bowdoin
1058 Main St., $108,500
Bowdoin’s elected officials would like to see this former church restored to its former glory, according to the property’s listing agent, Sam Prindle with EXP Realty.
“They’re really open-minded to what the buyer would like to do, there’s not a lot of roadblocks there for a potential owner,” Prindle said.
The 5,000-square-foot property could be a residence, venue or a business, the agent said. It’s got incredible historic value to the town. In the 1870s, it was used as the Bowdoin High School, and from 1897 to the 1990s was the Bowdoin Center Baptist Church. Prindle said it’s the site of Bowdoin’s first-ever baptism.
Though a previous string of owners have made “piecemeal” upgrades to the building’s foundation and electrical system, it’s in need of serious renovations.
“It’s gonna need some love — a new roof, windows,” Prindle said. “But if somebody has the money to invest, you could have something really cool there.”
